# Rohan Pipes?



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Hey I just stumbled upon these Rohan pipes on amazon. Anyone know anything about them? 

They actually look really solid for a knock around pipe. Wax berry briar and a good stem, no metal bowl, different style options. Good construction for around $20.


----------



## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

You should probably ask in the General Forum, and no I've never heard of them, but they look like cheap garbage. If you want to spend very little on a pipe to try out, you should get a Missouri Meerschaum corncob from a reputable online seller, drugstore, or tobacconist. You cannot find a quality briar pipe for those prices. Decent, well constructed pipes start at about $50 from makers like Savinelli.


----------



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

drastic_quench said:


> You should probably ask in the General Forum, and no I've never heard of them, but they look like cheap garbage. If you want to spend very little on a pipe to try out, you should get a Missouri Meerschaum corncob from a reputable online seller, drugstore, or tobacconist. You cannot find a quality briar pipe for those prices. Decent, well constructed pipes start at about $50 from makers like Savinelli.


Well I guess I couldn't disagree more. I sent them an email regarding some aspects of the product but to me it looks like something I could test out new tobaccos in or lend out to friends. I've bought two different missouri meerchaums and both have been sub par pipes. I'm looking to try out a pipe, not to try out pipe smoking. I've been in the hobby long enough to not need missouri meerchaums or cheap savinellis.

I have a savinelli dry system pipe I enjoy smoking. But I've never smoked anything besides briar I liked. I have a dry system knock off made of cherry but everything just seems to burn different in that. If waxberry briar smokes a little more similarly to tree heath briar, these could be a veritable low cost option.

I'll post here again with results when I buy one. At >$20, I might as well pick one up.


----------



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

*Rohan pipes?*

It looks like something I could test out new tobaccos in or lend out to friends. If waxberry briar smokes a little more similarly to tree heath briar, these could be a veritable low cost option.

I'll post here again with results when I buy one. At >$20, I might as well pick one up just for the sake of research.


----------



## Natedogg (Jun 21, 2010)

*Re: Rohan pipes?*

6 of my 9 pipes were under $20 (Milano, Bruyere, and Yello-bole) and they are wonderful smokers, it's just the finish isn't the best on the Milano. I have a $25 H.I.S that isn't built well but it's a great working around the house pipe. Honestly they all smoke as well as my Sav or my Meer. People knock the under $50 pipes, but they do their duty just fine for me. I will spend more on pipes when I have more money to spend on them.


----------



## Natedogg (Jun 21, 2010)

drastic_quench said:


> You should probably ask in the General Forum, and no I've never heard of them, but they look like cheap garbage. If you want to spend very little on a pipe to try out, you should get a Missouri Meerschaum corncob from a reputable online seller, drugstore, or tobacconist. You cannot find a quality briar pipe for those prices. Decent, well constructed pipes start at about $50 from makers like Savinelli.


I am living proof that this isn't true. I have 8 Briars that smoke fine and aren't falling apart, all were under $50. One of those IS a Savinelli that I paid $40 for new, 4 are Milano, which are Savinelli rejects because of cosmetic or other reasons that they failed the quality check. One is a Buyere which was a very well known name back in the day and I managed to get one that was unsmoked for $18. The last is a Yello-bole and it has been fine as well.


----------



## Natedogg (Jun 21, 2010)

You might have to merge this with the one he has opened in General as well.


----------



## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

You're right...thanks!



Edit: Merge initiated and accomplished. 

:focus:


----------



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Thanks for the relocation!

And yeah, I've smoke dr. grabows that were around the 20 dollar range and they smoke as good as any others I have. Some people only smoke cuban cigars and only buy pricey pipes and theyre missing out on the fantastic bargain priced stuff. Flor de oliva maduros? Fantastic. Dr. Grabow pipes? Just as good as my savinelli.

...having said that; I own a $250 pipe that smokes better than anything else I own. That doesn't mean everything else I own is garbage, but great pipes can be found in the upper AND lower price ranges. Maybe more abundantly in the upper ranges but there definitely are deals out there. I think this could be one of those deals.


----------



## Natedogg (Jun 21, 2010)

Oh yeah, I'm not discounting the fact that a $200 pipe probably smokes better than my $20 pipes, but for my uses and my pocket book, the pipes I have are all I need and they do the job wonderfully.


----------



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Natedogg said:


> Oh yeah, I'm not discounting the fact that a $200 pipe probably smokes better than my $20 pipes, but for my uses and my pocket book, the pipes I have are all I need and they do the job wonderfully.


Yeah, same here. The $250 was a gift. I have pricey pipes and cheap pipes and they're all comparable to one another. I strongly agree with what you're saying. It'll be interesting to see how these rohans will compare to other pipes in and out of their price range.


----------



## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

For $20, I don't see why it isn't worth a shot! Let us know what you think. :tu


----------



## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Natedogg said:


> Oh yeah, I'm not discounting the fact that a $200 pipe probably smokes better than my $20 pipes, but for my uses and my pocket book, the pipes I have are all I need and they do the job wonderfully.


My feeling is that a more expensive pipe will not necessarily be a better smoker than a less expensive pipe, pipes are strange creatures in that way. What I do think is that your chances of getting a good smoker are higher with the more expensive brands. Does the Castello I recently bought smoke wonderfully, well yes it does. Do I have a $50 Kapet that smokes great, yes I do. Now if I bought 20 Kapets and 20 Castellos I'd imagine I'd end up with more Castellos that were good smokers than Kapets, but I don't think there is any reason to feel one needs an expensive pipe to have a great smoke.

I also think that a lot of what makes an expensive pipe different from a less expensive pipe are factors aside from the pure smoking experience. The Castello has a level of workmanship that is just something special. As everyone knows I love my Peterson pipes, but there is no way I could say that the Kapet has the same level of craftmanship and pure beauty as the Castello. So I think the more expensive pipes can also give pleasure as things of beauty in and of themselves, much like other objet d'art.

So what's a pipe smoker on a limited budget to do? You could pop $400 for a new Castello and end up with a turkey. And your pipe buying budget would be consumed. Perhaps using that money to buy 6 or 7 Savs would be a better idea. I doubt you could buy 6 Savs and not end up with one that delivered a good smoke, and you'd probably end up with at least 2 or 3 good smokers, maybe 6 if the gods were smiling on you that day.

But this is why I've become a fan of estate pipes. I picked up the Castello for $145. I ended up with a great smoker and can enjoy the aesthetics of a high end pipe. However, unlike a new Castello, if it had turned out I picked the short straw and I didn't like the pipe, I could sell it and get most, if not all of my money back. Personally, I wish I had taken this approach earlier in my pipe smoking journey.


----------



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Yeah, true that indigo. The ones on the pricier end of my collection are used when the situation calls for something pretty that can smoke well. Otherwise I smoke my cheaper pipes just because thats what I like.


----------



## owaindav (Mar 7, 2010)

The way I see it is the same as you guys. For around $20 it might be worth trying. I bought another Grabow today. I was away from home with only the baccy in my pipe (PS Proper English, thanks Nate). Smoked that and wanted another bowl of something. Couldn't go all the way back home so I stopped at a drugstore and picked up some OTC and the Grabow. Wasn't about to smoke anything close to an aro in my english pipe.


----------



## phineasrex (Jul 12, 2010)

I'll go along with the general tenor of this thread. I got really into old "American" pipes, I use quotations because I am mostly referring to Wally Franks, and I don't think any of those were made in the USA, but certainly sold here. All I own are excellent smokers and had for a pittance. Currently I don't have the funds, and haven't felt a need to jump on something higher end. John, I am glad you mentioned your Kapet being a good smoker, I have been kicking around the idea of getting my hands on one, I really like the finish, but was a bit leery just because of price. Now I think I will just go for it. And yea I would love a silver spigot, but do I need one, no.


----------



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Alrighty boys, the package has arrived.

First, I would like to say. If you decide to buy one of these pipes after you've read my review, order with time to spare. They're sent from Israel so the shipping time is BRUTALLY long.

BUT DOWN TO BUSINESS!

I like them. Simpy put, they're a fun pipe to smoke. Are they anything to show your pipe smoking buddies? Probably not. Will you brag about the great deal you got? Odds are, no. Are they a good pipe for trying out the new mad-scientist tobacco you conconcted? Or any other new tobacco? Or something to lend out to a friend? Yes yes and yes. They're a fantastic bang around pipe. If you like to sit on your mower and smoke while you groom the ole yard, pick one up. They're light as air and if you knock it on a few things while you're workin, you won't be mourning the loss of anything too valuable.

So if I were you, would I buy one? Probably. The finish is a little hokey on some models (one of the pipes I got looks a little painted) but grab some fine grit sandpaper and a little mineral oil and refinish the sucker! At the very least, its a fun little hobby pipe you can play around with.

I actually really like the stems on them though. they're a little harder than vulcanite (I bite through vulcanite stems like string cheese) and have the swirly look of leucite. But they're a little more hard-plasticky feeling but without the cheap creakyness.

So all in all, the worksmanship isn't horrible, the materials aren't horrible, and the pipe isn't horrible. But they're not amazing either. But for less than $20? Buy one as a jack-of-all-trades pipe. Buy one for the times you want to do something crazy but don't want to put a gun to one of your Peterson's heads.


----------



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)




----------



## Natedogg (Jun 21, 2010)

Yup, sounds like a $20 pipe. Good to see you got them and good to see they are good smokers.

How's the build quality (hole center, hole location to the bottom of the bowl, stem tightness, etc)? I think I see the hole in that one pic (I saw them before you resized them) but it's tough to get depth from it.


----------



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Natedogg said:


> Yup, sounds like a $20 pipe. Good to see you got them and good to see they are good smokers.
> 
> How's the build quality (hole center, hole location to the bottom of the bowl, stem tightness, etc)? I think I see the hole in that one pic (I saw them before you resized them) but it's tough to get depth from it.


Build quality is that of a $20 pipe. Everythinng is pretty well centered. The rosewood piece (tan piece leading into the stem) was actually a little too tight on the stem but I took a dottle spoon, put it in there, spun it around a few times with light pressure just to loosen it up a bit. The inside of the bowl isn't perfectly carved out, the bottom has a little extra dip under the hole. But I've found if youre smoking an aromatic, that can give the moisture somewhere to sit and evaporate off. Its a surprisingly deep bowl, I usually smoke about 3/4 of it at a time and I'm ready to change it out.

I will say, the bore hole where the stem goes into the rosewood is ever so slightly skewed to the left. So the stem comes out like 1/2 of a degree off center. I didn't notice until I reeaally examined the thing. You can't tell while you're smoking it (it actually makes the pipe more upright with the way I hold it in my teeth. I first noticed it was skewed when I clenched it. Usually I spin the stem very slightly inwards to keep the bowl straight up and I looked down and saw I didn't have to.) But like I said, ever so slightly. Could be a fluke; either way, its hardly important at all for a knock around kind of pipe. You can kind of tell in the bottom picture (taken from the top view) that the stem is bent a hairsbreadth downward. You can also see from the picture how virtually unnoticable it is.


----------



## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Well its been about half a year and the rohan is still going strong. Besides the slightly off center stem, it smokes great! My friend who also had one agrees, its a great knock around for a beginner!


----------



## pipinho (Aug 27, 2011)

This thread needs a bump for nps


----------

